US donor funded secret haredi 'don't vote' campaign in Israel

'Sit and do nothing' campaign materials (Photo: Courtesy)

An unpredented drama is upturning the chareidi street in the middle of election day: the well-known Chasidic philanthropist from the US, R' Yoeli Landa, is the financial figure and driving force behind the "sit and do nothing" campaign, a wide-scale underground effort that called on the chareidi public to stay away from the polls.

The initiative operated under the radar for several months in a covert and complex operation, in which activists moved through shuls and haredi communities and signed tens of thousands of traditional haredi voters to a pledge not to go to the ballot box.

The initiative grew out of acute distress among parents of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim who were labeled "draft dodgers" during the last Knesset term. The parents, who had voted in the past for Shas and United Torah Judaism, claim that the haredi representatives did not stand by them and even worsened their situation. In response, they turned to philanthropists in Israel and abroad with a demand to help them send a sharp message to the representatives: "The only way to have an impact is not to vote."

"Our claim is that in any case the court system and the Attorney General's office determine everything today, so there is no reason to make the effort to vote," one of the organizers explained. Another source added that not voting is "a resounding statement to the haredi representatives that it is impossible to continue this way any longer."

Landa, together with a group of chareidi donors, raised over a million shekel (approximately $250,000) to fund the campaign. Landa rejected accusations spread against him on social media that he distributed cash in exchange for identity cards, and clarified that he provided sponsorship and financial backing for the protest of pained parents, out of hope to see a reduction in the power of the haredi parties at the polls.

Landa, known for his charitable activity, continues a deep family tradition. His grandfather, the late R' Mordechai Leib Deutsch zt"l, served as gabbai of the Kretshnifer Rebbe zy"a, and the grandson continues in his path. Just a few months ago, Landa held a special tzedakah distribution in Yerushalayim, where he gave 1,200 shekel to every married avreich in need of charity.

The campaign comes against the backdrop of a turbulent election day in the haredi sector. As published on Kikar Hashabbat, the voting rate in the haredi sector stands at approximately 35% as of 12:30 PM, compared to 31.5% nationally. In Modi'in Illit, 36.7% of eligible voters have already cast ballots, in Elad 32%, in Netivot 31.2%, in Ofakim 30.2%, and in Bnei Brak 28.4%.

The "sit and do nothing" campaign operated in parallel to other campaigns in the chareidi sector, among them the Tzeva Shachor party that presents itself as carrying the banner of the struggle against the draft law. According to the party's data, approximately 246,000 chareidim currently receive no representation in the polling data of Shas and United Torah Judaism.